Fire at the CENI warehouse in Bolobo and deployment of electoral kits
In a recent tragic incident, the warehouse of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in Bolobo was gutted by flames. The fire caused the destruction of numerous electoral materials, including 163 electronic voting devices (EVD). This incident has raised concerns about the participation of Bolobo voters in the upcoming elections.
However, the CENI quickly reacted and announced that measures were being taken to redeploy electoral kits in Bolobo. Jean-Baptiste Itipo, communications director of the CENI, assured the population that Bolobo voters will have the opportunity to participate in the elections. He explained that the kits will soon be transported to Bolobo, which is just two days’ sailing from Kinshasa.
Furthermore, Jean-Baptiste Itipo stressed that the CENI had strengthened its security measures to avoid such acts of vandalism in the future. The deployment of electoral kits throughout the country is currently taking place in complete silence, in order to minimize risks.
The CENI also underlined its desire to give priority to the most difficult to access areas, in order to guarantee equitable distribution of electoral materials. Kinshasa and the province of Kongo-Central will be the first to be covered, with deployment planned in the coming days.
In view of the next elections, scheduled for December 20, the CENI calls on voters to prepare and exercise their right to vote. She recalls that the real actors in this process are the voters, and other stakeholders, including candidates, must play their role in the success of these elections.
An investigation has been opened to determine the exact causes of the fire at the CENI warehouse in Bolobo. Pending the results of this investigation, all the police officers responsible for guarding the warehouse are currently in detention.
Despite this unfortunate incident, the CENI remains determined to ensure that the elections are held in the best possible conditions and to guarantee the participation of all voters, including those of Bolobo. The redeployment of electoral kits is a temporary obstacle which will be overcome in the days to come. CENI’s commitment to the transparency and integrity of the electoral process remains intact.
Sources:
– Original article: https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/12/05/la-commission-electorale-nationale-independante-annonce-le-redeploiement-des-kits-electoraux-a-bolobo-apres-lfeu- from-his-warehouse/
– Recent article: https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/12/05/la-france-alloue-60-millions-deuros-a-la-rdc-pour-la-sauvegarde-de-ses-forets/